Briefs

Town hall meeting will target meth addiction

A town hall meeting about methamphetamine abuse in Nevada County will be held at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Center for the Arts at 314 W. Main St. in downtown Grass Valley. The meeting will also be broadcast on KVMR at 89.5 FM.

Panelists will include Warren Daniels and Jim Burnett of the of Community Recovery Resources drug and alcohol recovery group, Bob Rogers of the group's alumni association, Richard Wilcox of the county public defender's office, and Nevada County Supervisor Robin Sutherland.

KVMR News Director Mike Thornton will host the program and provide a phone number for listeners to call in with questions.

Law specialist plans presentation

Tonight, a family law specialist will offer a presentation in Grass Valley on domestic partnerships. Joseph J. Bell will discuss legal issues and answer questions about domestic partnerships. His appearance is being organized by Nevada County's Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.

The presentation begins at 7 p.m. today at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 246 S. Church St., Grass Valley.

Part of Church Street closed for construction

Grass Valley's North Church Street will be closed today between Richardson Street and Doris Drive for paving. Access will be restricted from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., said Trisha Tillotson, an engineer with the city.

Instead, drivers will be directed from Doris Drive to Celesta Drive to Cypress Hill Drive to Hughes Road.

The paving could continue Wednesday, Tillotson said.

Medical supplies sought for hurricane victims

A drive to collect medical supplies for a clinic serving one of the poorest sections of New Orleans is being organized by Heidi Starr of Nevada City.

Starr, who organized the collection of 20 truck loads of goods for hurricane victims in Louisiana two weeks ago, is now focusing on the medical needs of residents of Algiers, an area hit hard by Hurricane Katrina.

She said the Common Ground Collective Clinic, which serves the community, needs basic medical supplies such as scrubs, paper and foam tape, adult diapers, and other items.

An anonymous donor has provided a large commercial truck to take donated items to New Orleans, and it will leave Friday morning, she said. For additional information, call Starr at 470-0918.

<B>- The Union staff</B>